Chapter 4

            Fists and kicks struck blows mighty enough to fell mountains!  Gokuu's speed and power, greatly enhanced by reaching 3rd level super saiyan, were being matched blow-for-blow by the mad godling Valgav.  Vegeta's pure rage was an asset that couldn't be underestimated; indeed, Valgav was hard-pressed against the two powerful super saiyans.  Lina Inverse, Sorcereress Extraodinare, and unwitting guest of this world, stared in wide-eyed amazement at the pure power and fighting prowess of her adopted guardians.  Dour Zelgadis Greywords, half man and half-rock (called a golem- M.) shaman and fighter for hire, also watched the grand spectacle.  The roars of the three combatants could've been heard for miles if there was anything living within twenty miles, but thanks to Valgav's display of power, such was not the case.  Only the three glowing figures and the star-filled sky lighted the land.  The land itself bore the scars of the on-going battle.  What was once a verdant forest was now desolate wasteland, and would probably take hundreds of years to fully recover, if at all.  The very ground still shock from the concussive waves of each hit, and the sounds of contact were nearly deafening!  Valgav's razor-sharp claws and wings were as deadly on defense as well as there were on offense; Gokuu and Vegeta bore many cuts and scars as testament to their strength.

            Vegeta was worse-off than Gokuu, cut and bleeding in more places, but still didn't let-up on the attacks.  His honor and pride were hurt and this brought forth more reserves of energy and rage.  A great blow struck Valgav on the side of his face, sending him reeling and crashing to the dead ground under him.  Gokuu was quick to capitalize on Vegeta's attack by putting his hands together at his right side.  A blue ball of energy formed.  "KA-ME," he started.  Vegeta, not to be outdone, clasped his arms together in front of him and bellowed as he drew forth his power.  "HA-ME. . . "

            Valgav got up from the small crater in the ground; a small trickle of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, but was otherwise unhurt.  He looked up at his two combatants. . .

            ". . . HAAA!!!"

            "FINAL BLAST!!"

            Valgav barely had enough time to get his energy shield up, as the powerful energy blasts from the two super saiyans came forth.  The resulting explosion caused great cracks to open up in the earth, and earthquakes that could be felt hundreds of miles away.  Lina and Zelgadis put up energy shields of their own once they realized the dangers and powers of their new guardians.  The force of the energy blasts nearly knocked them to their feet as it threatened to destroy their combined energy shield, and they weren't even close to the battle!

            "We're definitely a bit out of our league here!" yelled Zelgadis to Lina as he strained to keep the energy shield up.

            "Stop reminding me!" she screamed through gritted teeth, as she concentrated on keeping up her end of the shield. 

            Mercifully, the blast died down.  After the smoke cleared, Valgav dropped his shield.  He was shaken, but he smiled.  "Impressive display, my friends," he remarked.  The two saiyans frowned.  "But it is still not enough!"  His wings flared back and then whooshed forward, sending thousands of crystalline shards towards the saiyans.  Gokuu and Vegeta crossed their arms up to their faces to defend against him.  The deadly shards struck the helpless saiyans, cutting to the bone.  They both screamed in agony.  Valgav brought his wings back again for another attack.

            "Oh no!" Lina said.  "Their powers aren't able to defend against that type of attack!  C'mon Zel we gotta help them!  RAY-WING!"  Lina shot up to the air.

            "How do you suppose we do that?" he asked incredulously also taking off.

            "Get to Vegeta and put up your barrier, it might be their only hope!"

            He nodded and flew off as fast as he could.  Lina did the same heading straight for Gokuu.  The saiyan's arms were still raised in defense, but they were both hurt badly.  Valgav buffeted his wings once more and thousands more of the deadly shards shot forth.  Zel got to Vegeta first and put up his energy shield.  By the time Lina was able to throw up her spell several shards got through, hitting both her and Gokuu.  She grimaced in pain as her shoulder was pierced by many of the shards as were her sides and legs.  Gokuu took damage on his arms and chest, but her shield held off the brunt of the attack. 

            "You can't stop me Lina Inverse," Valgav called out.  "You don't even have the weapons of light with you this time.  Face it, it's useless to resist.  Accept your fate and die!"

            "Bastard," Vegeta muttered weakly.  "These shards are poison!" (I'm using a little liberty with the language with Vegeta now.  Besides, he's cool enough to use it.-M)

            "I'm a healer, which is lucky for you," said Zel dryly.  He reached back and put one hand on Vegeta's shoulder and chanted a heal spell.  Vegeta could feel some of his strength returning, but it was nowhere near enough.

            Lina and Gokuu were feeling the effects of the poison as well.  Her spell was wavering and it was getting harder for her to concentrate.  Gokuu's eyes were closed and his teeth were clenched.  "Lina," he muttered weakly, "when I give the word, drop your spell."

            "What?  Are you crazy?  We're in no position to fight now!  I can feel my power weakening right now as we speak!"

            "Do it!" he demanded.  "I've got one option left, so when I give the signal, drop your spell, got it?"

            "Got it," she answered back weakly.

            "Okay. . . NOW!"

            Lina complied, and in a flash Gokuu flew straight toward Valgav.  A look of amusement spread over the godling's face.  Vegeta saw this too.  "Kakarot!  What are you doing!?"

            "SUPER-KAI-O-KEN!"  His form suddenly glowed a deep red, as his speed increased exponentially.  Valgav's eyes widened, but that was all he was able to accomplish before Gokuu got to him. 

            Valgav was assaulted by Gokuu.  Punches, kicks, and more punches appeared out of nowhere.  The godling was exposed, and at the mercy of Gokuu, who didn't let-up.  Gokuu's newfound strength was more than a match for the godling.  Valgav tried to defend himself, but for every blow that was blocked, two more hit their mark.  Energy blasts from Gokuu's hands hit Valgav almost everywhere, but he was beginning to tire.

            "He can't withstand much more," growled Vegeta.  "If we don't do something fast, Gokuu will lose.  His body can only withstand that level of power for a short time, and with the effects of the kaioken and the poison. . ."  He didn't need to finish the rest.

            "What can we do," Lina asked weakly.  She had flown over to Zel and Vegeta and was getting a heal spell cast on her. 

            "Running sounds like a good plan to me," remarked Zel.

            Vegeta scowled, he'd be damned if he'd leave Gokuu to fight and die alone!  "Never!  A true warrior never runs from battle!"

            "Strategic withdrawal then," Lina compromised.

            Vegeta clenched his fists in silent rage.  The poison still coursed through his veins, but the damage wasn't as bad as it was before, he was still at 2nd level.  He looked down at Valgav and Gokuu and could tell that Gokuu's energy level was dropping at an alarming rate!  He didn't have much time!

            Gokuu's breathing was hollow and raspy.  His attacks still hit, but weren't as fast or as strong as they were before.  Valgav was still stunned, but didn't fall!  He was starting to block more blows and even managed to lad a few here and there.  Gokuu pressed the attack giving the mad godling everything he had!  But it wasn't enough.  Finally, Valgav scored a direct punch to Gokuu's injured stomach that sent him reeling.  The kaioken vanished, as did his super saiyan aura.  Gokuu's hair turned back to black and he doubled over.  "It seems that your strength has left you, warrior," commented Valgav through bloody lips.  Pain exploded in Gokuu's face as Valgav kicked it.  "You fought valiantly, but it was for naught."  More pain erupted in Gokuu's left side as Valgav shoved his boot into it.  Gokuu howled in agony, and was on the verge of passing out!  "Nothing can get in my way!  I will not stop until I have destroyed her."  He kicked Gokuu again.

            "Not if I have anything to say about it," bellowed Vegeta who came jetting from behind.  Valgav turned, but was tackled head-on by the mighty prince of saiyans!

            "V. . . Ve. . . Vegeta," whispered Gokuu.  "Get out of here Kakarot!" he screamed.  Gokuu tried to move, but he was spent, his body hurt too much, and then everything went dark.

            "I see you are still getting in my way," said Valgav.  "Get used to it," was the reply.  Valgav raised his fists and came down hard on Vegeta who still flew and held on for all it was worth.  Valgav hit him again, and this time Vegeta let him go.  Valgav brought his fists down again but were caught by Vegeta who sent Valgav flying high up into the sky with a super kick!  Wasting no time, and against his better judgment, he blurred back to the now unconscious form of Gokuu.  Lina and Zelgadis were already by his side casting healing spells, but he didn't move.  "We don't have much time," Vegeta said.  "He's lucky to be alive," commented Zelgadis.  "Of course he's alive," Vegeta shot back, "He's a saiyan!"

            "What's a saiyan?" Lina asked.

            "We don't have time for foolish questions!" Vegeta yelled.  "That's right, you don't!" came Valgav's voice from the darkness.  "But you do have time to die!"

            "Blast!" cursed Vegeta, who powered-up as much as he could.  He could dimly see Valgav's shimmering form walking toward them.  "What do we do, Lina?" asked a desperate Zelgadis.

            "I'll cast the giga-slave," was her response.  She began casting her spell.  Valgav saw her and laughed.

            "It won't be enough to save you from your fate!  I finally have you, Lina Inverse!"

            "I think not Valgav," came a voice from the darkness.  Lina and Zel darted around to see who it was.  "It's about time, Piccolo," Vegeta spat.

            The hulking form of Piccolo slowly walked into the light, his weighted training clothes were off.  "Sorry, but I brought some reinforcements."

            "It's good to see you again Lina!" The voice was grating and annoying.  Lina, Zelgadis, and Valgav's eyes were wide in shock.  "Xellos!" both Lina and Zelgadis exclaimed.

            Xellos strode out behind Piccolo.  His purple hair was cropped short at the temples, and the rest was worn down to his shoulders.  His long staff with the jewel in it was in his right hand and his purple robes flowed in the wind.  His eyes were closed, yet he could see perfectly.  Still the most annoying feature about him was his ever-present smile.  "You again," bellowed Valgav with deep hatred.

            "Yes, I'm afraid so," was his answer.  "It seems that I too am able to travel to this world.  Of course I always need to keep tabs on my friend Lina."

            "We're not friends," remarked Lina annoyed/  "Why are you here Xellos?"

            "That's easy Lina," he replied, "Beastmaster transported me here to find you.  When I arrived I met the charming Piccolo here."  Piccolo frowned.  "He told me about you and Zelgadis over there.  Naturally, us being friends and all, I wanted to see how you were faring in this world."  His eyes opened, "I see you've been busy."

            "Can it, Xellos," she shot back.  "It's not like we came here intentionally!"

            "Maybe," he mused.

            "Can we get back to the problem at hand," said Piccolo angrily.

            "I killed you once Xellos!  I can do it again!" Valgav screamed, preparing to attack.

            "Oh, I don't think so," came the calm reply.  Xellos's smile was still there.  "We've got you outnumbered Valgav, and between Golden-boy over there, Piccolo, and myself, I think we'd have a good chance of wiping all names of you from existence."

            "Golden boy?" roared Vegeta, clenching his fists.

            "Besides," spoke Xellos.  "I'm not the same Xellos you killed before."  His eyes were open and an evil smile spread on his face.  "I know your weakness."

            "What?" was Valgav's disbelieving reply.

            "I know the secret of your power, and I know how to take it away."

            "You lie, monster!"

            "Do I?  Then let's find out."  Xellos crouched ready to attack.

            Valgav looked over at Lina with a look of extreme hatred, then back at Xellos and Piccolo.  "It's not over yet Lina Inverse!"  His eyes glowed and a beam shot forth from them and struck Gokuu's prone body.  Xellos was just about to blur and attack, but Valgav was faster and he escaped in a dark flash.

            "What was that?" Vegeta asked.

            "Oh dear, "remarked Xellos," that was Valgav's mind probe.  With it he can know anything about you."

            "That type of attack is simply wasted on one like Kakarot," muttered Vegeta who powered down.  Suddenly his eyes widened.  "Oh no!"

            "What?  What is it?" Lina asked.

            Vegeta turned to Xellos.  "Tell me strange-one, does that mind probe go for one specific memory or many?"

            "Many I guess."

            "You guess," was the dark, disturbingly quiet reply.

            "Yes, I said I guess."

            "Then that means he knows where Bulma and Trunks are going!" Vegeta wavered as he tried to stay conscious.  The poison was still in his system and was taking its toll on him.  "We must go to Gokuu's house immediately!" 

            Piccolo nodded and picked up Gokuu.  "Here Vegeta, take this."  Piccolo handed Vegeta a sensu bean.  Vegeta gulped it down without a thought, and felt his power returning to his normal levels.  He nodded at Piccolo, who nodded in return. 

            "Let's go," barked a rejuvenated Vegeta and took off.  Lina and Zel looked at each other then at Piccolo who held the still unconscious Gokuu in his arms.  "Go with him," he commanded," he may need your help.  Gokuu and I will be there as soon as we can."

            Lina looked like she was about to argue the point, but thought better of it and nodded.  They took off and headed after Vegeta.

            "You should go too," Piccolo said referring to Xellos.

            "I don't think I'll be much help," said Xellos matter-of-factly.  Piccolo frowned and raised his eyebrow.  "What about all that you said to Valgav?  Was it all a lie?"

            Xellos exhaled sharply, "I'm afraid so.  Every word."

            "Great," was the sarcastic reply.

Next:  I hope Chi-Chi and company are okay!  Find out next chapter!!!